The Secret to Homemade Pie Crust

I just love making pie crusts from scratch. But a lot of friends tell me that it's too intimidating or too hard. It really isn't! I think the challenge is that there are a lot of variables in perfecting pie crust and you have to understand what they are. At the core of it is learning to cook by touch. Here's what you should look for:

When you start, make sure all of your ingredients are cold. They should feel closer to freezer cold than fridge cold. You can even freeze your food processor bowl and blade.

Pulse in the butter until the mixture feels like sand. You should still have a few pea-sized clumps remaining that feel like little pebbles.

Now, here's the tricky part. You want to add the ice water just a little at a time. The amount you add depends on the humidity of your kitchen and a host of other factors. You don't want to add too much because that will make the crust tough. So, start adding a tablespoon at a time, pulsing well after each addition. When the sandy crumbs start to get a little bigger, squeeze a walnut-sized amount between your fingers. If the crumbs hold together, your crust is ready. If they crack and fall apart, pulse a few more times to see if they'll hold. If they still don't hold, then add more water.

You can then gently press those crumbs together into a flat, even disk before refrigerating.

Once you get the feel for it, you'll love making homemade crusts too. (Of course, if you're not up to it, check out our picks for best premade pie crusts.) To see how we put together our Thanksgiving pies, come on a tour of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.